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Cerinthe major L.

Honeywort (en), Grand mélinet (fr), Grand Mélinet (fr), Mélinet élevé (fr), Grand Cérinthe (fr), Cérinthe élevé (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Boraginales > Boraginaceae > Cerinthe

Characteristics

Annual, with erect glabrous stems to c. 60 cm high, but often much less. Lvs on flowering stems sessile, cordate and amplexicaul, 2-6 × 1-2 cm; lower lvs oblong to broadly ovate below infl., glaucous, white-tuberculate and rough above. Cymes elongating to c. 12 cm long; bracts to c. 3 × 2.5 cm, broadly ovate to suborbicular, blue or bluish purple, tuberculate above, ciliate. Calyx slightly < bracts; lobes unequal, blue, ciliate. Corolla 1.8-2 cm long, pendent, the basal 1/2 yellow, narrowed, the upper 1/2 dark purple; lobes c. 1 mm long, recurved. Stamens reaching corolla mouth; filaments flattened; anthers 5-6 mm long. Style long-exserted, filiform. Nutlet pairs asymmetric, c. 4 mm diam., slightly beaked with broad flat base.
More
A plant that grows for 2 or more years. It grows 40 cm high and spreads 40 cm wide. The stem is erect and branching. The leaves are smooth. The flowers are purple to yellow. They are bell shaped.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.4
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 0.5
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is best in a rich well-drained soil. It needs an open sunny position. It is resistant to drought and frost.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 1-5
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-8

Usage

The young leaves and flowers are eaten raw in salads.
Uses environmental use invertebrate food medicinal
Edible flowers leaves
Therapeutic use Jaundice (unspecified), Scurvy (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seed or by root division.
Mode -
Germination duration (days) 7 - 14
Germination temperacture (C°) 15 - 18
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Cerinthe major habit picture by raphaelh (cc-by-sa)
Cerinthe major habit picture by fabricekx (cc-by-sa)
Cerinthe major habit picture by ileo'oiso (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Cerinthe major leaf picture by Abdelhak Sioud (cc-by-sa)
Cerinthe major leaf picture by Vipal Antonio Gianfranco Gualdi (cc-by-sa)
Cerinthe major leaf picture by nikos nikos (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Cerinthe major flower picture by joy joy (cc-by-sa)
Cerinthe major flower picture by rosa (cc-by-sa)
Cerinthe major flower picture by boualem felfoul (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Cerinthe major fruit picture by Ruddy BENEZET (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Cerinthe major world distribution map, present in Canada, France, and New Zealand

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:113825-1
WFO ID wfo-0000597884
COL ID SY4L
BDTFX ID 16213
INPN ID 90258
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Ceranthe acuta Cerinthe acuta Cerinthe alpina Cerinthe aspera Cerinthe glauca Cerinthe gymnandra Cerinthe gymnandra Cerinthe longiflora Cerinthe strigosa Cerinthe versicolor Cerinthe aperta Cerinthe major subsp. elegans Cerinthe glabra subsp. longiflora Cerinthe gymnandra var. macrosiphon Cerinthe gymnandra var. quichiotis Cerinthe major subsp. gymnandra Cerinthe major var. gymnandra Cerinthe gymnandra var. iberica Cerinthe major var. elegans Cerinthe major

Lower taxons

Cerinthe major subsp. oranensis Cerinthe major subsp. purpurascens
WorldFloraDB 2024